We forget Clooney and Ellen's 'Sisters' rendition was in 'White Christmas'
T HE HOLIDAY SEASON seems to arrive fully loaded with its own soundtrack, icing us each year with the same semi-sweet seasonal surround-sound. While it’s just not Christmas until I’ve heard Richard’s little sister Karen Carpenter in Macy’s, singing that she wishes I could see the lights on her tree, back at home I just can’t bring myself to bake, stamp or perform the online shopping equivalent of “Send one in every color, and wrap it!” to Christmas carols.
This is the time for personal standards. The Sister Project sisters agree that the single best Christmas sister song ever recorded was Sisters from White Christmas, but otherwise, our seasonal standards are our own. Margaret and I certainly do not mesh on what music notches us into the gear required at this get-it-all-done time of the year.
In my house, you’ll hear Aztec Two-Step pretty much every day going back 35 years. You know these guys, and while it might be mostly for this song, they’ve been making fine music all these years, in all producing a sufficient playlist to keep even me from drinking the vanilla extract directly from the bottle as I begin my annual two-day cookie-baking blowout.
Our season officially begins when I strap on the apron and push the play button on their first cd and listen to Baking. My daughter, who learned the lyrics to this song when she was 2, now, at 13, believes it to be as much a requirement of Christmas as the season’s two-week sugar high.
What makes your ginger snap? Let us listen in.
No related posts.
First time here? Here's the idea: 
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I am glad you did not teach your daughter/my niece to carol while baking; one kind of CD I don’t own even one of is Christmas music. Common ground there. No show tunes at my house, either…but there we differ: They’re another of your favorites (and my niece’s, who as I recall has been able to sing ‘You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun’ since she was like 6). I’m sticking with Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash and the rest of my crew.
I’ve been enjoying your project for a few weeks now, slipping in and out in stealth mode, so I figured it was time to show my face. I’m not much for the assault of holiday music that passes for entertainment this time of year either. The only Christmas song that I truly love is Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” though I’m not sure that’s really a Christmas song but I think of it as one anyway. A few years ago I wrote alternate lyrics to “Merry Little Christmas” and “Let It Snow” and I must say I did enjoy singing those songs with my own words. Recently, I’ve had an intense desire to go caroling and I’m not sure where that comes from. Perhaps another symptom of the onset of menopause?
My husband and I are not the most festive of folks when it comes to the holidays. My mother always made a big deal about decorating the tree and baking cookies, and I have happy memories of my sister and I waking up early on Christmas morning and sneaking out to see what was under the tree. My husband’s childhood holiday memories are not as happy and he would prefer just to skip it. But we do bring out a little ceramic tree that was his mother’s — it’s about ten inches tall and has an incandescent bulb inside to illuminate the “lights” on the tree. For years our presents to each other have been things like new tile in the bathroom, but this year I felt a strong need to get an actual present, so I told him we had to get each other one gift this year. Nothing expensive, but he had to take the time to think about what might be meaningful to me. His response was “Really?” We’ll see how he does.
Welcome, Sandy. Marion remains without power so she’s not online to welcome you herself…my generator just headed over in a car to be (hopefully) helpful at her house. I know she will be eager to say hello when she is back up to speed. Winter! (And by the way, I love your one “actual present” idea. Beautiful.)
Hi, Sandy: Welcome. I’m as delighted to read you here as I am to have my power back on. Yipppeeee. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, as the song goes. Yes, the sister thing of sneaking to see the gifts is vivid for my sister and me as well, though I sneaked into our mother’s closet long before the gifts ever got under the tree. How about you? Is one of you more bold than the other? Do tell.
It is hard to say which of us is bolder, we are so different. She’s six years younger than me, which isn’t of much significance now at 51 and 45, but it was a gulf when we were kids. We don’t look much alike. I’m rather stoic, she lets it all out. We live in different parts of the country (me NY, her Florida). I’ve got cats, she has a dog. I’ve got a husband, she has a girlfriend. Yet, get us going on, say, Barack Obama or Jeb Bush, and we’re in total agreement (yeah to Barack, nay to Jeb).
Hey, Sandy: Cats/dog, husband/girlfriend, Barack/Barack. It sure sounds like sisters to me. My sister and I agree on the big stuff; it’s the little stuff that gets us into trouble every time. For instance, I have this theory that everyone on earth is either a burger or a burrito. My sister thinks this is the craziest yet of my many taxonomies, but I’m writing it up right now. It will soon be a post on the site. Stay tuned and weigh in on which side of the edible divide you two fall. Can’t wait to hear.
Whaddaya mean we forget that ‘Sisters’ was in White Christmas? Never! Marion, do you remember scouring the Times’ TV listings each Christmas season for years, searching for this movie? And the more obscure (then) Holiday Inn? We needed these films, particularly during exam week. Of course, anything with Astaire and Rogers was a must-see, even at 3:00 in the morning. This was all pre-VCR, people. Isn’t it great that we can finally view the unedited/uncut films now?
BTW, while I am not a huge fan of traditional/pop Christmas music — about ten minutes of it suits me fine for the year– Bono’s version of ‘Baby Please Come Home’ will totally put a smile on my face. As will Bono himself, come to think of it.
Yo, Winetipper: I do remember scouring the NYTimes’ TV listings for this AND calling the networks repeatedly begging for this movie to be added to the lineup each year. Ah, youth. And Bono. We’ll all always have Bono, we hope. Thanks for putting a smile on my face with that thought. Keep me smiling, please, and offer more holiday tips, music or otherwise.
Well, here’s my recommendation for the best holiday musical: Mr. Magoo’s A Christmas Carol. No, I’m serious! But good luck finding it.
My favorite holiday music/movie is “Meet Me in St. Louis” with four sisters just like at my house. You can read more about why I like it here.
Hi, Linda: welcome. What a lovely reminder of a fine movie. And what a great tale I found when visiting your site. Thank you. (BTW, I am a huge fan of Buffalo, New York, having only recently visited on an architecture tour, spending most of the time there swooning over the buildings). Please come again with more sisterhood suggestions. And happy new year.
Marion — thanks for the visit and the kind words. I’ve been living in Wisconsin for years now, but as you can tell, Buffalo still has my heart. And yes, great architecture and great art at the Albright. I recently added “sisters” as one of my categories rather than just “family” after I discovered this site via your sister. This is a great idea!
Hi, Linda: So glad that sisters has been added on your lovely site. As you can see, we think it’s a great topic. Please keep us in your sights.
Marion, I remember being on a rather long car ride with your family and hearing you, your husband and your daughter, who was probably 3, singing every word to They Were You. So I know you’ve got show tunes. We’ve probably got 4 versions of Gypsy alone on CD, and I’ll bet my sister doesn’t have any. Wonder if there’s always one keeper of this particular flame per generation.
Hi, Elizabeth. That’s an interesting question: is there a keeper of the familial soundtrack in every family? And if there is, how is that designated and understood, and does this mean the others don’t need to carry the tunes around in their hearts and heads?